“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15, NIV

It seems old men often try to offer, what they hope is, some final wisdom before their time on earth is over.  At least, that’s a pattern in Scripture.  We saw it with Jacob just before his death as he gathered his sons around him.   We see it here again with the aged Joshua, much later with Paul in his admonition to his disciple Timothy, and even with an older apostle John in his three epistles to the church.  Of course, the context always relates to the hearers’ relationship and walk with God.  It is, admittedly, a paternal practice that I find appealing and worth emulating.

It was recently while praying that I was interrupted and gripped by Joshua’s words   They seized me so much that they became a constant thought throughout the day and ever since, as if they were some sort of talisman not to be ignored.  I suspect it was a Holy Spirit prompting because of the burden that came with the thoughts.  Writing this is my way of not ignoring it.  

I don’t believe those who know me well would describe me as an alarmist, but I do believe there are alarms being sounded in our midst.  Do I need to name them?  I don’t think I need to do that; any attentive person whose influences extend beyond TikTok, celebrity watching, and so-called reality TV should be able to make a pretty comprehensive list.  The world has become a ball of confusion and the regularly promoted panaceas don’t seem to carry much weight.  We can make like John Lennon and sing, “All You Need is Love”¹ all we want.  That appeal hasn’t made much of a dent and certainly hasn’t silenced any alarms that I’m hearing.  At this stage, I doubt that it will.  If anything, the momentum is moving in the opposite direction.  The bottom line is that many, many people have made and are making choices that leave the God of the Bible on the sideline of their lives as if He were a scrub bench player not likely to see any real playing time.          

Many years ago, I heard someone say that it was easy to determine what captured people’s attention, what their passions and deepest interests were, and the ways in which they try to influence others: You just have to listen carefully to what they talk about the most, most of the time and the ways in which they talk about those things.  In these days, we would have to extend this beyond verbalizing but also include what people say on social media posts.  I’m going to be so bold as to say that whatever these are, they define what these people have chosen as the locus point of their lives.

In some circles, it is very popular to be a Christian and to proclaim Christianity as one’s faith.  What seems to be missing within those circles, to too a noticeable degree, is the commensurate popularity of deep-seated, Holy Spirit empowered, dedicated commitment to the cause of Christ and the consecration that such commitment calls for.   In other words, there seems to be a whole lot of talking and a whole lot less walking.  They are living under the tabernacle of “cheap grace”² in which Christianity costs little and requires little.  

 I believe this is because many of those using the name of Christ have actually chosen “other gods” to whom their deepest allegiance is given.  That is what shallow faith does; it leaves room for competitors to move in, often without our notice, initially.  The example of the golden calf in the Exodus story makes this very point, and what is sad is that we still don’t get it because we don’t see ourselves in the story and are enamored by the fools’ gold of the gods we actually serve.                  

My maternal great grandmother was a Native American from the Cherokee nation which still populates the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina today.  I recall hearing the stories of her shared by my grandmother when I was a child as I stared at the picture of this stern looking woman dressed in tribal garb.  Because of my maternal bloodline, I would occasionally ponder pursuing tribal membership although I never did and don’t foresee that now at my age.  I have, however, from time to time, referenced this connection in conversation when it seemed germane to the discussion.  

What’s the relevance?  Not too long ago, I was sitting under the teaching of a friend and colleague who was using the oft-quoted exchange between God and Solomon found in 2 Chronicles 7.  God says, in verse 14, “If my people, who are called by name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face…”  This teacher stopped here to make the point that God was referring to His “tribe,” those who were called and set-apart to be a nation of priests.  He then said this, “There are some who are actual members of the tribe, and there are some who just like using the name.”  Sometimes it suits me to use the tribal name of my great grandmother, but the truth is that I am not a member of the tribe, just like there are, I fear, people who frequently use the name of Christ, but in reality, they are not members of the tribe.  Their membership lies elsewhere, places to which their choices have taken them.

Does my sharing this count as wisdom?  I leave it to the reader to judge.  I will say that I hold to this belief: Jesus is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24) and therefore, I must choose Him.   I have chosen Him.    

It’s not too late to choose the way of God which is Jesus Christ, but the alarms are sounding.                

1.  “All You Need is Love” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Sony/ATV Music © 1967. 
2. “Cheap grace” is a phrase made famous by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book, The Cost of Discipleship. SCM Press Ltd, 1959.  

© Byron L. Hannon, 2024.  All rights reserved unless otherwise noted.